Always and Forever
by sunnyontheheights
Summary: The Salvatore brothers are too late. Elijah succeeds in his plan to kidnap Elena and hold her hostage to bait Klaus into his trap. Yet despite this girl's infuriating stubbornness and his proclaimed thirst for revenge, Elijah finds his resolve slipping. Meanwhile, as friends scramble to the rescue, more unexpected feelings begin to blossom. Elejah, Klaroline.
1. Prologue: Taken

**Summary : t****he Salvatore brothers are too late. Elijah succeeds in his plan to kidnap Elena and hold her hostage to bait Klaus into his trap. Yet despite this girl's infuriating stubbornness and his proclaimed thirst for revenge, Elijah finds his resolve slipping. Meanwhile, as friends scramble to the rescue, more unexpected feelings begin to blossom. **

**Pairings: Elejah, Klaroline, [possible Donnie, Stexie]**

**First Vampire Diaries fanfic! Enjoy!**

* * *

Elena hears the footsteps on the stairs and turns. Preceding her trembling captors Rose and Trevor, a stranger walks forward onto the balcony. Impeccably groomed and dressed in a dark suit, the man goes rigid when he sees her. Dark eyes rove over her, and before Elena can blink a rush of air brings the man inches from her face. She takes a startled step back, but he only draws nearer.

_This must be Elijah, _she realizes with a sinking feeling. _The man who's going to kill me._

She can feel herself trembling from head to toe, but she forces herself to remain still as he leans forward, his eyes intent on her face. The precious few inches separating them disappear, and for one horrifying moment it looks like he's about to kiss her. But at the last second he tilts his head ever so slightly and lowers his lips to skim against the base of her neck. Elena shivers as she hears him pull in a slow breath through his nose. When he draws back, a mixture of surprise, suspicion, and something she can't define flickers behind his eyes.

"Human," he murmurs. Rose and Trevor shuffle with nervousness behind him as he continues. "It's impossible."

Elena swallows hard when those cold brown eyes return to her. He gives her a sort of half smile, and in a deceptively kind voice addresses her for the first time:

"Hello there."

Elena's too petrified to even move. There's something about this man, something ancient and frightening, darker and colder than anything she's ever faced before. He turns.

"Well, we have a long journey ahead of us. We should be going."

Raw fear takes hold of her, and before she can stop herself she hears her voice cracking with a terrified plea to Rose.

"Please, don't let him take me!"

Rose's eyes slide away from hers, and she almost looks guilty. But the other vampire doesn't move. Elijah nods to her. "One last piece of business and we're done."

He turns toward Trevor.

The younger vampire swallows. "I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly—" his lower lip trembles, "—_very _sorry."

"Oh no," says Elijah, hands folded behind his back as he circles him like a piece of prey. "Your apology's not necessary."

"Yes," Trevor insists. "Yes, it is. You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you."

"Oh yes, you _are _the guilty one," Elijah amends. "And Rose aided you because she was loyal to you, thatnow I honor." He comes to a stop before Trevor, his back to Elena. "Where was your loyalty?"

"I beg your forgiveness," Trevor pleads.

"So granted."

The ghost of a smile begins on Trevor's lips, and then Elijah moves so fast that Elena has no time to blink. He whirls on the spot, arm whipping out, and Trevor's head sails across the room in a spray of blood. The headless body sinks to the ground as Rose screams.

Elena claps a hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying out, too.

"You!" Rose sobs, starting forward.

"Don't, Rose," says Elijah. "Now that you are free."

Rose clutches the banister, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Come." Elijah extends a bloodied hand to Elena, which she stares at in horror.

"But what about the moonstone?"

He pauses. "What do you know about the moonstone?"

"I know that you need it," she replies. "And I know where it is."

He arcs an eyebrow in amusement. "Yes?"

She fights to meet his gaze. "I can help you get it."

"Tell me where it is."

"It doesn't work that way."

Elijah purses his lips to hold back an incredulous laugh. "Are you negotiating with me?"

He glances back at Rose, who has regained her composure enough to ground out, "It's the first I've heard of it."

Elijah returns his gaze to Elena, and his eyes narrow. He takes a step forward and touches a finger to her necklace. Her breath catches.

"What is this vervain doing around your neck?" With one sharp tug, he snaps the chain and tosses away her only chance at salvation. Elena tries to look away from his compulsive gaze but he grabs her by the back of the neck and forces her to meet his eyes.

"Tell me where the moonstone is."

An awful, yet familiar feeling of eerie calm settles over her. "In the tomb underneath the church ruins," she hears herself say.

"What is it doing there?"

"It's with Katherine."

"Interesting."

A crash, a thud, and the splintering of glass from upstairs. Elijah's eyes snap up.

"Time to be going."

"No, wait—"

His arms snake around her waist in a rush of wind, everything's gone.

* * *

Minutes later, Damon and Stefan crash into the main hall. They're met with a wild-eyed Rose, who's breathing hard with tears tracking down her cheeks.

"What…" Stefan starts.

"You're too late," the vampire whispers. "She's gone."


	2. Quaver

**Thank you for the nice response to my first chapter! Hope you guys like this next one, it's fairly short. Don't know how much time I'll have to update as my next term is starting back up. I'll try to post what I can. Enjoy. **

**p.s. Reviews make me update faster ;)**

* * *

Elena stared out the window at the dark trees rushing by the road. Elijah had strapped her into the front seat of the sleek black Cadillac, slipped into the driver's seat with vampire speed, and before she could unbuckle took off down the road a good twenty miles over the limit. He could hear Elena's heartbeat racing out of control, but his little captive made no move to escape. She didn't even fidget beneath the seatbelt, just sat huddled against the passenger door, still as a statue with a slight tremble to her shoulders. She turned and fixed Elijah with wide dark eyes.

"Where are you taking me?" she whispered.

He glanced at her, and returned his eyes to the road. "Somewhere your little Salvatore boys won't be able to find you."

He heard her heart rate pick up speed, fluttering against her ribs like a trapped hummingbird. The sound brought a faint smile to his lips. The little thing had no idea how much she had to be afraid of—yet.

"You know about Stefan and Damon?"

"I've done my research, little doppelganger."

"Then you know they won't give up on me. They'll find me, wherever you take me!"

"As implausible as that is, if indeed they do I will calmly separate their heads from their bodies as you saw me do with Trevor."

Her sharp intake of breath told him he'd earned himself a few more minutes of silence. Good. Let her absorb the fear until it made her compliable to his plan.

He was to be surprised.

"What do you want with me?" she demanded.

He shot her an incredulous look. "If you were wise, you'd have learned to hold your silence by now."

She glared at him, masking any outward display of fear, though her heart still rattled like a drum. "You kidnapped me, you at least owe me an explanation."

He held back a laugh for the second time that day. "I owe you nothing, child."

"I'm know I'm supposed to be part of some sacrifice," she pressed.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, then you know that your lifespan is to quickly come to an end, so don't tempt me to end it sooner than necessary."

"You won't kill me. You need me for the ritual."

He turned to look at her. "How much do you know of your worth, doppelganger?"

She swallowed, and he found his eyes lingering on the soft curve of her throat working at the motion. "I…" she fumbled for the confidence she'd displayed moments before.

"You don't know," he interjected.

To his surprise, he sensed her withdrawal. When he looked at her again, tears shimmered on the brims of her eyelashes. "I know I'm going to die," she whispers. "But please—just promise me one thing. Leave my friends out of this. Even if they come after me, just… just don't hurt them, please."

He said nothing as the yellow lines of the road raced past.

"I beg of you, Elijah."

He stiffened at her use of his name. He wasn't even aware she knew it. For some reason, her broken plea pierces through his well-structured defenses. It startled him. Nothing had been able to break past those carefully crafted walls in well over a century. And here came this helpless little thing, hardly more than a child, with the ability to chip away at him. It would not do. He had to put the wall back up.

He responded in a deliberate, cold voice. "I will make no such promises. Should your friends interfere in my plans, I will end them."

Silence, finally, fell over the car. For a long, still moment the hum of the wheels on the road filled the air. Then he heard it, caught the faintest raggedness to her breathing, the shaky sniffs she fought so desperately to contain. He cast a discreet glance in her direction. She'd drawn her legs up to her chest, hugging them tight with her chin on the tops of her knees, her eyes squeezed shut. Her graceful features were contorted in pain. Usually, the pain of others held no sway over Elijah. He'd seen expressions of agony and contorted anguish on many faces before. Yet for some reason, the pain on this girl's face discomforted him, even more so because he was the one who had put it there.

_Eyes on the road, Elijah, _reminded the tactical part of himself. _It cannot be helped. She is to die, and you must remember that her part in this plan you've been crafting for centuries. Do not quaver now. _

He tore his gaze away from her and let his eyes rest unseeing over the dark road ahead. She was human, mortal. Her death would bring him salvation, at long last. He could end the blight to his family's honor and restore the bond with the rest of his siblings, once the ritual was complete and Klaus dead.

She had to die.

So why did he feel every sobbing breath coming from the girl beside him ripping at his insides?

* * *

**Sorry this is so short. I've been super busy, and have had this half-chapter sitting around for a long time so I thought I may as well post what bit I have. :)**


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